Ramadan

BACKGROUND:

Islam is one of the most widespread religions in the world. Its followers, called Muslims, number between 850 million and 1 billion.

Islam is based on the belief in one god. Allah is the Arabic word Muslims use for “God.” In Arabic, “Islam” means submission to Allah.

The most important rituals practiced by the Muslims are often referred to as the Five Pillars of Islam. They are as follows:

1. Shahadah – a short statement declaring the greatness and oneness of Allah.
2. Salat – prayer that is offered five times daily
3. Sawm – the fast that takes place during Ramadan
4. Zakat – a religious tax used for the poor, the sick, and others less privileged in the Islamic community
5. Hajj – the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca

The third pillar will be the focus of this mini-unit.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This month lasts 29 or 30 days and occurs during different seasons depending on the cycle of the calendar. The fast of Ramadan lasts the entire month. All those who have reached the age of puberty (usually 12 years of age) are expected to observe the fast.

Muslims are also expected to feed a poor person during this month. If one is ill or on a journey during Ramadan, one can fast the same number of days that were missed at a later time.

Muslim families around the world have many special traditions and activities during the holy month of Ramadan.

All adults (unless they are elderly, unwell, or pregnant) and some teenagers will spend the month fasting. They won’t eat any food from sunrise until sunset. Many children will join in for some of the fasting too. The fast begins after a meal called suhoor, and the fast is broken at night once the sun sets with a meal called iftar.

The iftar usually begins with dates, as was the custom of Muhammad, or apricots and water or sweetened milk. There are additional prayers offered at night called the tarawih prayers, preferably performed in congregation at the mosque. During these prayers, the entire Qurʾān may be recited over the course of the month of Ramadan.

The end of the Ramadan fast is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr, the “Feast of Fast-Breaking,” which is one of the two major religious holidays of the Muslim calendar. In some communities Eid al-Fitr is quite elaborate: children wear new clothes, women dress in white, special pastries are baked, gifts are exchanged, the graves of relatives are visited, and people gather for family meals and to pray in mosques.